Anthony Spencer's taking his place among Purdue's great defensive ends.

By now, everyone knows that not only is Purdue still the Cradle of Quarterbacks, but also the Den of Defensive Ends, as some have dubbed it.

Following in the footsteps of Rosevelt Colvin, Akin Ayodele, Shaun Phillips, et al, is Boilermaker senior Anthony Spencer, who may be the enjoying the best season of any of them this year, which is a mouthful considering how great some of those players were.

Everyone hoped for big things this season from Spencer, but with guarded optimism. He's always had the tools to be a great player, but injuries have held him back. Last year had to be considered a huge disappointment for him, as he took a step back from a sophomore season that was derailed by injuries.

Spencer, the Big Ten's Defensive Player-of-the-Week the past two weeks, is playing not only at an All-Big Ten level, but at an All-America level.